Mr. Pat Barry:

On the framework for the minimum energy performance, it is important that there be a strategic framework. What we do not want to happen is say, a landlord who is about to put a property on the market and who needs to hit a certain performance level throws in a couple of measures just to get him to the minimum performance. What really needs to happen is there needs to be something like a digital passport, a building renovation passport, that first sets out where the building needs to get to in order that measures are not carried out just to achieve a particular benchmark and that all of the information on the measures that are carried out are recorded in some form of digital logbook. Therefore the next owner of that property, if the landlord passes the property on, the next owner has access to exactly what has happened. They will know what Register of Electrical Contractors Ireland, RECI, certificates were issued as to what electrical work has been carried out. They will know exactly the type of heat pump that has been installed and exactly what is in the walls. Because that work is covered up, you do not know if you are buying a property, what is in the walls. We need to introduce a similar approach to conveyancing that includes all of this information in order that every time the property passes on to the next owner, they can build upon that work and can rely on that work and the information is reliable enough that they know the next measure will get them to a B1 and it fits; they do not have to undo the previous work that was done. For example, the obvious thing a landlord would do is put in a condensing gas boiler. That will get him or her up two notches in the building energy rating, BER, straight away but that is obviously not the best thing to do because we want to decarbonise them. We have to have a long-term strategy that can be built on step by step.